Architects: Samuel Hilari
Area: 320 m²
Year: 2024
Photographs: Santos Winston Miranda Ramos
Manufacturers: Ferretería Prometeo, Industrias Acercomet Beto, Marmolería Suma Qala
Lead Architect: Samuel Hilari
Technical Consulting: Pacha Yampara Blanco, Marcelo Murguía Fernandez
Construction Manager Oversight: Luis Escobar Osco
Execution: Eduardo Escobar Osco, Raul Quispe Kama, Omar Quezada Carvajal, Ivan Viracocha
Electrical Engineering: Rolando Mérida
Locksmith: Vicente Condori Mamani
Carpentry: Marcelo Murguía Fernandez
City: El Alto
Country: Bolivia
The Interactive Living Museum Yatiyawi is a cultural space designed by Samuel Hilari to house exhibitions and workshops for the El Getsemaní foundation, which supports children and adolescents in Tilata, a periurban neighborhood in the La Paz-El Alto metropolitan region. Positioned at an altitude of 3,920 meters, the area is undergoing urbanization, with traditional earthen structures rapidly giving way to concrete and brick. In response, the museum reintroduces rammed earth as a primary construction material, promoting low-carbon, locally sourced building techniques. Built with a budget of approximately $30,000, this project is the largest contemporary rammed earth construction in Bolivia. The museum’s collection includes educational materials from the now-defunct Yatiyawi Foundation, a group dedicated to creating learning resources for the local population since the 1990s. The tour includes renovated rooms of the “Casa Barbara” and a new block, both showcasing various earth-based textures, along with preserved Andean trees in the outdoor patio.
In this context, the museum aims to make an impact by reintroducing rammed earth as its primary construction method, distinguishing itself from the surrounding area. The museum integrates earth and wood into its didactic mission, aligned with the foundation’s goals. Built on a modest budget of approximately $30,000, the project focuses on creating functional, simply constructed spaces using low-carbon materials and local labor. This initiative stands as the largest contemporary rammed earth construction in Bolivia.
The museum’s collection primarily consists of the legacy of the now-defunct Yatiyawi Foundation, which operated in Tilata since the 1990s, producing educational materials for children and adults. “Yatiyawi,” meaning ‘Teaching’ in the indigenous Aymara language, reflects the foundation’s mission. Each area of the museum features unique textures and colors, with the common element being the use of earth as a key material.
The museum tour starts in the renovated rooms of “Casa Barbara,” where a new earthen plaster has been applied over the original adobe walls, replacing the previous stucco. It then moves into a smaller space, distinguished by light earthen plaster made from gray earth sourced from the nearby Achocalla Valley, about 10 kilometers away.
The final part of the tour leads into the new block, constructed entirely with rammed earth walls and featuring a gable roof supported by exposed wooden trusses. Natural light enters through polycarbonate sheets positioned along both sides of the roof ridge. This space includes two exits along a central axis, with the north exit opening to a patio where two native Kiswara trees (Buddleja coriacea Remy) of the Andean highlands have been preserved.
Project Gallery
Project Location
Address: El Alto, Bolivia
Location is for general reference and may represent a city or country, not necessarily a precise address.
